Thrown Into the Real World
by highonair435
Summary: Troy and Gabriella move on into college. They thought everything was going to go according to plan, but things don't turn out that way. They find themselves caught in yet another struggle to make their relationship survive. But will it?
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so this is my SECOND fanfiction. Well, the second one I've started. I haven't finished up my first one. But this is my first one for HSM. This is just a preface chapter, so it isn't very long. I haven't read any High School Musical fanfics, so I don't know if this one is as good as the others. But please review and let me know what you think, I would appreciate any advice on how to improve my writing since I want to be an author.**

TPOV

I sat there at the car dealership, staring at the blank white wall. My eyes traced the outline where the wall met the ceiling. The ceiling wasn't very different from the wall. It was colored the same shade of off white. The room was shaped into four corners, only a single white door at the corner that led to the main dealership area. So here I sat waiting, with nothing to do but fiddle my fingers and try to ignore the drooling overweight bald guy sitting in the corner, snoring too loud for comfort. I sighed. After a few minutes of utter boredom, I whipped out my cell phone from my pocket and checked the time. 4:35, Mountain.

Mr. Jenks stepped out of the office with a single silver key dangling on an electronic lock remote like a keychain, smiling hugely at me. With his free hand, he scratched at the rough black stubble on his chin. But he was dressed fairly well, grey suit and blue tie. He reminded me a little of my dad, but a bit rounder in the middle with average features. His pale blue fishy eyes squinted at the sight of me, shimmering with delight. I stood up from the faded green plush chair to face him, jamming my cell in my front pocket where it belonged.

"Ah, Mr. Bolton," He spoke in his deep voice, "Your car is waiting."

He spoke the word _car_ as if there was a sleek black Aston waiting for me out there in the lot. Not exactly.

I decided since I was going to Berkeley, I couldn't have my ancient white Chevey (or at least that's what I thought it was… right?) breaking down in the middle of the road on my way to California. I sold it for it's USABLE parts and gave the rest to the junkyard. Maybe someday some kids like Chad and I could discover the good use of it, and take advantage of the parts they offered there. Though I had to admit, the yard wasn't the best quality, it was definitely useful senior year.

No, the car waiting for me out there wasn't grand. Used, but it had good mileage. I could depend on it to take me places.

Mr. Jenks approached me and dropped the key into my waiting hand.

"Take good care of it," he sniffed.

"Thank you, Mr. Jenks. I will." I felt like rolling my eyes at him, but that would anger the man who had just sold me an Izuzu van. I would understand if it was his own he was giving away his own, but he wasn't. Well, it was mine now. I payed for it.

"Thank you," he grinned. I gave him a sharp, short nod in goodbye. I didn't want to linger any longer.

As I drove the red van home, I had to admit, I was proud. Maybe it was because I was prouder of this car than that wretched gas guzzler. It would take me to California and back. Hopefully.

I caught a giganturan building in my perhepial vision, and automatically felt my muscles tighten, my heartbeat speed. It was too large to be a home, but in a way, it still was.

I stopped the car and looked around me, to see if anyone was coming. Then I rolled the window down and stuck my head out into the sunlight.

East High looked so empty, so deceased.

It looked depressing. The red Wildcat banners were taken down for the summer. I saw no cars in the parking lot. Not even that pink corvette, that normally looked like a statue carved there instead of a car since it was there so much. But now there was nothing. It looked like a ghost town. A heard a bird cry from the top of the bulding.

My eyes scanned above the sign that bore the schools name, above that clock, up to where the plants were. So many memories. I leaned back on the car seat, closed my eyes, and willed myself to remember. I don't know how long I sat there, flooding my head with good memories.

A shiny silver Volvo honked from behind me, and I jumped. A little impatient blonde girl caught my eye, and started yelling at me, hands waving in the air. Agitated, I threw the car into drive and pushed the pedal forwards. I didn't stop until I reached the house. I couldn't allow the past to have such an effect on me. What's done is done. Now I would tell myself over and over. I do not go to East High, I do not go to East High…

"Troy!" My dad yelled from the door. It seemed like he got my text. He started walking towards me. I turned off the car, stepped out of it, and slammed the door with my elbow. I walked around the front until I got to the passenger window, and leaned back casually, key fiddling in between my fingers.

"You like?" I grinned. His answering smile was almost amusing.

"Jeez, kid. How did you pay for this? You couldn't of sold that much for the crapwagon."

"Some leftover college tuition I had saved up just in case I didn't get a scholarship," I explained. Dad stared at me for a second, and started cracking up. He threw his head back and laughed.

"And how many scholarship offerings did you get?"

"A few," I chuckled. I locked the van when I pressed my thumb against the little 'lock' button. How convienient.

"Cmon, kid. Let's get inside."

That night, I managed to stuff the remainder of my closet into my third suitcase. It's not like I would be heading back anytime soon. That thought made me sad, but it was true. I had to get to the University this week because I wanted to attend this Summer Workshop thing before the semester actually started. It would also be nice to explore the school also.

And there was another reason why I wanted to get to California a bit earlier…

In the morning I was practically set to go. Everything was packed and ready. All that was left were a couple of goodbyes. I was ready for those.

I jogged down to the kitchen and sat down on the stool. I put my head down and sighed. A few minutes later, I recognized my mom's footsteps clacking against the tile from the distance, heading closer and closer towards the kitchen. I made no movement to greet her.

"What will it be?" she called from the fridge. I kept my head down.

"Cereals fine," I mumbled. My appetite didn't require anything special today.

I looked up when I heard the bowl knock against the marble counter. I inhaled sharply.

Mom looked at me for a second, and hiccupped. The red rims around her watery eyes explained why.

"Mom," I breathed. I stood up from the stool and hugged her. She sniffed against my shoulder. I felt her tears run freely.

"Mom, It's okay," I soothed at an attempt to make her feel better. I patted her on the back. She sniffed once more and broke free from my embrace to meet my eyes.

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" she whispered painfully.

"No," I replied, "You're just being a good mom."

"I'll miss you so much, promise me you'll call every day."

"I will," I assured her.

That wasn't the end of it. After my mom left upstairs, I willed myself to eat some cereal before it got soggy. Any second now my dad would come downstairs to say his goodbye. I wanted to eat first.

After I was done, I placed the empty bowl and spoon into the sink. Now it was time to lug the suitcases into the van.

I rolled the first suitcase into the trunk, throwing it in with a heave. I handled two more I brought from the house. There was still plenty of room left, now that I had folded down the back seat. It's not like I was bringing anyone along or anything. I was the only graduate from East High going to Berkeley. Home of the Golden Bears.

Then I heard tires skitting along the pavement from the front door. I turned around to find my dad carrying the three remaining suitcases. He didn't look sad, or happy. His expression didn't hold anything in particular. I waited.

"You alright bud?" he asked when he finally got within earshot.

"Feeling great dad," I grinned. I helped him load up the suitcases into the back of the van. After we were done, he turned to look at me.

"Troy," he hesitated, then begun again."Troy, make sure you have fun out there. You only get to go to college once. After that, well…"

"I know dad. I'll be fine. And I _will_ have fun. Remember I'm playing basketball."

"And your living in Bowles hall," he chuckled. "That guarantees some fun."

"I'll take care of myself. I'll do fine."

"Let's hope Gabriella keeps you in line," he mumbled under his breath.

"Huh?"

"No, nothing son. I know you'll do great. Just make sure you don't get expelled first semester."

"I'll try my best," I laughed.

There was a period of immesurable silence. The leaves rustled from the trees as the wind blew. His eyes grew serious.

"So, uh, I guess I have to go now," I said uncomfortably. Sadness touched his eyes.

"I guess you do," he sighed. "Bye kiddo."

I nodded at him. He helped me close the trunk. Before I started the car, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck," he smiled. He let me go and I hopped into the drivers side. I started the car and rolled the window down before I left.

"I'll be back soon," I promised. He smiled again.

"I'm counting on that," he answered. With one last look at him, I rolled up the window and sped away. He was waving goodbye from the sidewalk until I was out of sight. I drove in silence for a while before it became unbearable. I cranked up the radio, another feature that came with a van from the 21st century.

It would be a long time till I got to California.

**So… what did you think? Feel free to throw in any suggestions, I'm open to them. Oh yeah, and if anyone has read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer check out my fanfic on my profile. If you haven't read Twilight, you should, because it's a great book. Review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

I got out of the van stiffly. The first thing I did was stretch my arms towards the sky. I felt my skin stretch over my muscles, sending tingles to my toes. I couldn't believeI was finally here, California. College life. Around four or so years of hanging out here, then I would be an adult. Get a job, live my future. _An adult_, I thought, _will I look like my dad_? I shuddered. I hoped not. I was hardly ready for all that.

I slammed the door roughly and slumped over to the registration office. A crowd of blond girls were talking and laughing as I passed, ignoring me as they shoved into my chest. I steadied myself for a second, then walked in. I was greeted by a thirty or something year old redheaded receptionist.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Cope. Welcome to Berkeley, home of the Golden Bears. How may I help you?" She drawled in a flat voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Um… I just got here. Can I get my card and key?"

"Name," she mumbled in the same bored tone. It didn't even sound like a question.

"Troy. Troy Bolton."

"Alright, wait a moment please, Bolton, while I find your file." She rummaged through several filing cabinets until she held out a yellow manila envelope. She opened it, fanned several papers across her desk, and sighed.

"Okay, so here you have your map," she put her French manicured finger on a large, pull out brochure looking thing, "Your key," she gestured toward the piece of metal casting shine off the fluorescent lights, "A complete guide to dining and activities," she pointed at another stack of stapled papers, "And a 25% off your first purchase at the school store," she waved the little red trimmed border coupon in the air. "Any more questions?"

Okay, so she had given me a key, and a whole bunch of non essentials. I could print out everything but the dorm key from the site. Maybe I could print out the 25% off coupon again from the site, get a sweater or something from the store.

"Yeah, uh, student ID." One of two things I couldn't get off the Internet.

"Of course," she sneered unpleasantly. I was liking this lady less and less by the second. "Just sit down there."

I plopped myself on a chair across her desk and waited. Soon she had a camera hooked to the top of the computer screen, facing me.

"Okay, smile for me, or don't smile. I don't really care, so do whatever you want. In 3…2… and… there," I grinned weakly as the camera made a beeping noise. Then she went clicking away on the computer. I slumped down in the chair some more, losing the smallest hint of a smile. I must of come out looking like a phsyco, my hair was most likely sticking out like I received an excessive noogie. And I would keep this card for the rest of the year, possibly four. Joy.

"Here, Bolton, your card's ready," she huffed impatiently, her long nails staccato against the hollow mahogany. Could she be any more irritating? I sauntered over to get it.

"Thank you. I-um, could you get me all my papers?" I asked a little uncomfortably. She was flattening my map with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah." She shuffled the papers together and slid them in the manila envelope. "Have a good day, sir." She sounded like a broken tape recorder.

"You too," I stifled in irritation. I exited the building once more and made my way to the truck. I hopped in, surprised when the engine didn't roar to life. Instead I got the purring of a decent engine. I laughed.

I drove to Bowles hall, all the way near the football stadium. I was greeted by a grey old looking building with a great green lawn stretching out in front with a ton of windows. I would have to call this standoffish, abandoned looking place home.

So I got out of the van and unloaded my stuff. Even my luggage seemed stiff from the journey to California, heavier. I strapped one bag on my arm, slung another one across my shoulder, and lugged around two rolling bags with my available hands. I must have looked like a prisoner the way that all those black straps were holding me down to the concrete like chains.

I hit the main passageway. It was empty and lonely, until I reached the next one. Ashen. Depressing. As I was rounding around a corner, I bumped into this huge dude. My eyes widened.

He looked bad ass, with bare feet, tattoos, piercings, buzz cut, low riders, and a simple white tank. I was surprised the tank didn't burst open in the effort to hold in his tremendous, big enough to be steroid pumped, muscles. I met his eyes for a second. I stared wide eyed as he glared. They screamed two words; Back. Off.

"Sorry, man. I didn't see you there," I said in surprise, my face a mask of astonishment. He grunted, and smiled with his bottom teeth, leaning in closer with brows furrowing in anger. I didn't dare move my head a fraction of an inch, just waited for him to walk away. I could smell the strong pungent contents of alcohol in his breath, filling up my nostrils with bitterness. It made me want to sneeze for some weird reason, or scratch my nose. Before I could do anything though, he leaned back, and walked away, back hunched. I watched him until he narrowed down another hall.

Jeez. That guy had serious problems. I vaguely wondered if all the people here were the same, if they were all high on steroids and smelling like milk left in the sun too long mixed with sweat. I dragged along another hall in search for my room. It wasn't a long way, it was only on the first floor. Thank God, I didn't think I could carry all these bags up several flights of stairs.

I dropped all the bags when I reached dorm 128 on the right side of the hall. I fumbled for the key in my pocket, and managed to stick it through the hole. Then, I took a deep breath, and opened…

I was met with an expected site, bland as the hall and the outdoors. It seemed like the whole building was painted grey. A couple of random articles of clothing were strewn across the floor, creating an oddly comfortable mess. I couldn't stand the neatness, unlike my O.C.D. mother. Something always needed to be out of place in my room, whether even the slightest. Acknowledging this made me a little happier.

I walked in a bit farther in the room. There was two doors, leading to the bedrooms I presumed, that were slightly ajar. The north wall held a glass window, displaying a good portion of the cloudy afternoon. To the right was a TV, a navy blue couch the centerpiece of the room, strung with sweaters and shirts and cluttered in books and papers of all sort. Someone was here.

I hadn't even noticed the shower was up and running until it shut off, I heard the sound behind me. I hadn't caught that bathroom door right next to the entrance, I was too preoccupied with looking ahead. I zipped past the bathroom door as fast as I could, I didn't want to risk the probability of some naked guy bumping into me, possibly my future roommate. God, that would be embarrassing. I settled myself on the couch, pretending to be preoccupied with something on my phone. I heard the bathroom door open, but I didn't make a move to turn my head around and see who it was. His move.

"Are you serious?" A voice boomed from the door. A blond haired kid with blue eyes wearing only boxers and a grey tee stared at me wildly, with a weird expression on his face. When I stood up, Blondie moved a bit closer. He stubbed his skinny index finger at me.

"You my new roomie?" he clarified. I nodded at him. A huge grin broke across his face.

"I'm Troy. Troy Bolton," I said politely. I extended an arm to greet him.

"Mike Newton," he smirked, his blown out grin faltering a little. He slapped my hand with his palm and shook it firmly. Strong. So far I liked this guy.

"You a freshman at Berkeley?" I asked, eyebrows raised. He didn't look that old. He still looked like he belonged in high school to me. Then again, maybe I looked that way too.

"Yup," His lips popped on the "P", "I'm taking accounting and business."

"Buisnessman?" He hardly looked the type. Guy in boxers wearing suit and tie? I wanted to crack up, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Eh." He scratched at his ear. "The family business. Mom wants me to take over. I don't know what else I can do, so why not? I also wanted to come here cause my girlfriend really wanted me to go," he finished impishly. "How about you?"

"Well.." I started, and sighed before continuing, "I actually wanted to go to the University of Albuquerque, but then my girlfriend, Gabriella, got a scholarship to Stanford. I got a couple of scholarships from around here, so I took a shot at Berkeley. Here I am."

He blinked in surprise. "Jeez," he breathed, "I wouldn't of passed you for the nerdy type."

Once I processed his words, I let out a short laugh. "Hardly. Gabriella's the smart one. I'm here for basketball," I chuckled, and ran a hand through my hair. He relaxed. I sat down on the couch again, this time grabbing the remote and mindlessly flipping through the channels. After a while, Newton joined me.

"Hey, so a bit later, me and a couple of new friends I met are going to dinner. You up for it?"

I hesitated. "Actually," I started, "I'm supposed to be meeting my girlfriend later for a movie."

He shrugged. "She can come too, if she wants. We're all just trying to get to know each other, anyways. But if you gotta go to the movies, I understand."

"I'll go ask her," I told him. "I'm sure she won't mind." I stood up, and took out my cell phone. I sent her a text. Mike took my spot on the couch and lay sprawling down on it, stealthily grabbing the remote from the armrest and starting to flip though the channels himself. I ignored him.

_Are you in the middle of something_? I texted her. I didn't want to call her just in case she was in one of those extra credit classes she took all the time. The ones I would never be caught dead doing.

_I'm not doing anything, you can call_, she texted back. Relief sagged heavy on my shoulders. I finally got to hear her voice.

I finally got to hear her voice.

I punched in the familiar numbers. She picked up on the first ring.

"Troy?" her musical voice rang, as clear as a bell. It brung a warmth to my toes.

"Gabriella," I acknowledged. I felt myself smile voluntarily. Suddenly Newton, the dorm, and the blaring TV disappeared. All I pictured was Gabriella sitting down on the grass, notebook on lap, pen in hand, the wind playing in her silky hair, the sunshine making her angelic features glow, and her warm smile taking the breath out of me. I closed my eyes, and it was exactly what I saw. I pictured every line of her beautiful face perfectly, as if I was with her at the moment. I was so in love.

"Troy?" she breathed, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

I snapped my eyes open, raking my brain to remember. Something about the movie… Newton… _dinner_. I recalled the past conversation now.

"Umm.. are you okay if we do something else besides go to the movies tonight? My new roomie invited me to go to dinner with a couple of new people, and he invited us to come," I said a little uncertainly.

"Oh!" Her voice went an octave higher in surprise. "It's fine with me, it's been a while since we've gone to dinner. Actually… can you ask him if I can bring two more people? They're dying for an excuse to get out."

I hesitated, then turned around. "Sure, hold on," I murmured into the phone, and then lowered it down to my neck. Mike turned around to face me, sitting upright.

"Is she good to go?" he asked. I nodded, then took a breath to add to the confirmation.

"Is it alright if she brings two more people, though?" I asked. He looked up, pondering, then brought them down and grinned.

"Are they girls?" he asked mischievously. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Didn't he have a girlfriend? I frowned a little, and then brought my cell back to my ear.

"He's asking if they're girls," I asked a little sourly. Gabriella laughed lightly, the sound reminding me of crystal bells chiming in the wind. I exhaled in a gust.

"Yes. They are. Make sure to throw in that they're _single_." I heard the soft, warm familiar smile in her voice. I couldn't wait to see it again.

"Yeah, they are," I said flatly.

"Perfect!" Mike smirked. "These two guys, they're on the lookout. It'll be like… a double _double_ date." I grinned, and raised the phone again.

"Okay, then it's settled. Make sure to tell your friends that they need to be ready at…" I looked at Newton for an answer. He raised seven tanned, skinny fingers. "Seven."

"Great! I'll call you then," she chirped. I kept my mouth shut. I knew what she was doing, and I didn't like it. I didn't want to say goodbye.

Yet, that was always the thing Gabriella was good at. "Bye, Troy," she murmured, like a lulling, sweet, lullaby. I closed my eyes.

"Bye," I breathed. Two seconds later, I was listening to a dead dial tone. I sighed. I folded the phone closed, and stuffed it into my pocket.

We were in for an interesting night.


End file.
